Crossing guard accident a reminder to clear frost off windshield

An accident involving a crossing guard serves as a reminder about a law you must follow.

Officer Wayne Morris was working outside Holston View Elementary School when a driver with a frosty windshield hit him Thursday morning.

Sullivan County deputies told News 5 Morris is out of the hospital.

It's important to remember that your defroster may not be enough to keep you from a serious wreck.

A new face directed traffic outside Holston View Elementary School on Friday.

"That's Mr. Morris' territory out there, that intersection," said Thomas McDaniel, a captain with the Bristol Tennessee Police Department.

McDaniel filled in for Morris who is now at home with a sprained wrist.

McDaniel told us several people voiced "concerns about Mr. Morris."

"People love him out here," McDaniel said. "He's part of the fixture out here, the neighborhood."

Authorities told News 5 the driver couldn't see Morris through the frost on the windshield.

"We see a lot of those crashes that happen are very close to home so it doesn't take much before that obstruction can cause a lot of problems," said Matt Austin, a captain with the Bristol Tennessee Police Department.

Austin told us you need to have all of the frost and ice completely cleared between the tinted areas at the top and bottom of the windshield. If you don't, you're breaking the law, he said.

Drivers also need to make sure tall side windows and back windshield are clear.

Austin told us this is especially true near schools, where the crossing guard isn't the only one at risk.

"Around school zones you have children all over the place," he said. "They may dart out quick in front of you."

Austin told us leaving any ice on the windows is illegal because it's considered an obstruction of view.

Drivers also need to be aware of rain turning into black ice on the roads once temperatures get colder, said Austin.

Austin told us giving yourself enough time to drive slowly in the morning can prevent an accident.